Sea bulk transfer vessel

Abstract

A self-loading, self-discharging, bulk cargo transhipper 20 comprising a buoyant vessel 21 capable of receiving water as ballast inside the buoyant vessel 21 , a bulk material receiving system 22 , a bulk material distribution system 25 and a bulk material holding system 28 , which transhipper 20 is a deep sea transhipper for the transfer of bulk cargo between vessels or between a port without deep draft loading facilities and a vessel at sea. The invention also relates to method of material transfer between vessels at sea or between a port without deep draft loading facilities and a vessel at sea.

We claim:  
     
       1. A transhipper, comprising: 
       a buoyant vessel;  
       a bulk material receiving system, supported on the buoyant vessel, to receive bulk material delivered to the transhipper from an outward source, said bulk material receiving system comprising bow hopper means to receive the bulk material delivered to the transhipper from an outward source;  
       a bulk material holding system supported on the buoyant vessel to hold bulk material received from an outward source for transhipment to an outward destination;  
       a bulk material distribution system for outward distribution to an outward destination of the bulk material received by the transhipper from an outward source, or held in the bulk material holding system;  
       said bow hopper comprising a discharge opening and being mounted on the buoyant vessel in a raised position on a number of columns or pillars to allow for the positioning of a loading conveyor means underneath the discharge opening of the bow hopper; and,  
       wherein the bulk material receiving system further comprises said loading conveyor means positioned as described above to receive the bulk material discharged through the discharge opening of the bow hopper.  
     
     
       2. A transhipper, comprising: 
       a buoyant vessel;  
       a bulk material receiving system, supported on the buoyant vessel, to receive bulk material delivered to the transhipper from an outward source;  
       a bulk material holding system supported on the buoyant vessel to hold bulk material received from an outward source for transhipment to an outward destination; and  
       a bulk material distribution system for outward distribution to an outward destination of the bulk material received by the transhipper from an outward source, or held in the bulk material holding system;  
       wherein the bulk material holding system comprises a main hopper fixedly mounted longitudinally on the buoyant vessel in a raised position on a number of pillars or columns.  
     
     
       3. The transhipper of  claim 2  wherein the walls of the main hopper are sloped inward to converge at a discharge opening or a number of discharge openings to allow for the gravity discharge of the bulk material held in the main hopper through the said discharge opening or openings. 
     
     
       4. The transhipper of  claim 2  wherein said main hopper comprises one or more discharge openings positioned above a reclaim conveyor means to allow for the discharge of the bulk material from the main hopper onto the said reclaim conveyor means. 
     
     
       5. The transhipper of  claim 4  wherein the main hopper is divided into a number of holds, each hold with its own discharge opening or discharge openings to allow for segregation of bulk material into types of bulk material or to allow for an equal distribution of the weight of the bulk material loaded in the main hopper. 
     
     
       6. A transhipper, comprising: 
       a buoyant vessel;  
       a bulk material receiving system, supported on the buoyant vessel, to receive bulk material delivered to the transhipper from an outward source;  
       a bulk material holding system supported on the buoyant vessel to hold bulk material received from an outward source for transhipment to an outward destination; and  
       a bulk material distribution system for outward distribution to an outward destination of the bulk material received by the transhipper from an outward source, or held in the bulk material holding system;  
       wherein the bulk material distribution system is mounted on said buoyant vessel and comprises:  
       a reclaim conveyor means for receiving bulk material discharged from the bulk material receiving system or the bulk material holding system for the transfer of the sail bulk material to the bulk material distribution system;  
       a vertical conveyor means for receiving the bulk material for the reclaim conveyor means and to raise the bulk material to a boom conveyor means for distribution of the bulk material to an outward destination or for discharge of the bulk material into the bulk material holding system; and  
       a distribution conveyor means to receive the bulk material raised by the vertical conveyor means to allow for the distribution of the bulk material to an outward destination or to allow for the discharge of the bulk material into the bulk material holding system.  
     
     
       7. The transhipper of  claim 6  wherein the bulk material holding system comprises a main hopper having discharge openings, and wherein said reclaim conveyor means spans the buoyant vessel longitudinally between the bulk material receiving system and the bulk material distribution system, and 
       is suspended from a plurality of support members or columns so that the reclaim conveyor is suspended underneath said discharge openings of said main hopper.  
     
     
       8. The transhipper of  claim 7  wherein the reclaim conveyor further comprises a material bearing surface and vertical skirting means laterally defining opposite edges of the material bearing surface of the reclaim conveyor to contain the bulk material on the reclaim conveyor during conveyance of the bulk material to the said bulk material distribution system. 
     
     
       9. The transhipper of  claim 6  wherein the distribution conveyor means is a telescopic belt conveyor having a variable effective horizontal length of conveyance. 
     
     
       10. The transhipper of  claim 6  wherein the vertical conveyor means is a C-loop conveyor comprising: 
       two vertically opposed endless belt conveyor means having mutually facing material bearing surfaces for sandwiching or enclosing the bulk material between said respective material bearing surfaces to counteract spillage of the bulk material from the belts during vertical elevation of the bulk material in the vertical conveyor means.  
     
     
       11. The transhipper of  claim 10  wherein the C-loop conveyor is encased in a frame fixedly mounted to the buoyant vessel in a position diagonal to the reclaim conveyor. 
     
     
       12. The transhipper of  claim 6  wherein the distribution conveyor means comprises: 
       a support tower; and  
       a telescopic boom having a variable effective horizontal stroke.  
     
     
       13. The transhipper of  claim 12  wherein the support tower comprises: 
       slewing means to allow for the horizontal slewing of the boom from amidship to aft of the transhipper relative to the position of the bulk material destination; and  
       pivoting means to allow for a vertical luffing of the boom relative to the height of the bulk material destination.  
     
     
       14. The transhipper of  claim 6  wherein the bulk material holding system further comprises a reversible tripper conveyor longitudinally mounted in a raised position above the main hopper to receive bulk material discharged from the distribution conveyor and to further distribute the bulk material to said respective holds of the main hopper. 
     
     
       15. A transhipper, comprising: 
       a buoyant vessel;  
       a bulk material receiving system, supported on the buoyant vessel, to receive bulk material delivered to the transhipper from an outward source, wherein the bulk material receiving system comprises bow hopper means to receive the bulk material delivered to the transhipper from an outward source;  
       a bulk material holding system supported on the buoyant vessel to hold bulk material received from an outward source for transhipment to an outward destination;  
       a bulk material distribution system for outward distribution to an outward destination of the bulk material received by the transhipper from an outward source, or held in the bulk material holding system; and,  
       a main hopper fixedly mounted longitudinally on the buoyant vessel in a raised position and wherein the bow hopper and the main hopper have discharge openings and wherein the main hopper of the bulk material holding system and the discharge opening of the bow hopper of the bulk material receiving system each further comprises a gate with a closure member extending across the discharge opening and having a width dimension and a length dimension in the horizontal direction to control the rate of flow and the volume of flow of the bulk material from said hoppers through said discharge openings.  
     
     
       16. The transhipper of  claim 15  wherein the gate comprises of two closure members and means for moving the two closure members in reciprocally opposed directions in the horizontal plane. 
     
     
       17. The transhipper of  claim 16  further comprising means for moving at least one of the closure members in the horizontal plane independently of the other closure member. 
     
     
       18. The transhipper of  claim 16  wherein the gate further comprises guides to define the movement on the horizontal plane of the closure member or closure members. 
     
     
       19. The transhipper of  claim 16  further comprising a power source for moving the closure members relative to each other in reciprocally opposed directions or for moving the one closure member independently of the other. 
     
     
       20. The transhipper of  claim 16  wherein, each gate further comprises scraper means slidably attached to the main hopper in a vertical position transverse to a material bearing surface of a reclaim conveyor to produce a constant vertical height definition of the bulk material being moved along said reclaim conveyor. 
     
     
       21. The transhipper of  claim 20  wherein the scraper means comprises: 
       a vertical shear plate having a material bearing surface and vertical skirting means laterally defining opposite edges of the material bearing surface of the reclaim conveyor to contain the bulk material on the reclaim conveyor during conveyance of the bulk material to said bulk material distribution system, said vertical shear plate being slidably affixed to the underside of the main hopper in a position transverse to said material bearing surface of the reclaim conveyor to allow for a vertical stroke adjustment of the shear plate relative to said material bearing surface;  
       tracks to slidably attach said vertical opposite edges of the shear plate to said skirting means to allow for the vertical adjustment of the stroke of the shear plate and to prohibit a lateral movement of the shear plate during operation of the reclaim conveyor; and  
       power means for adjusting the vertical stroke of the shear plate relative to the material bearing surface of the reclaim conveyor.  
     
     
       22. A method of transferring particulate or granular material from an outward bulk material source to an outward bulk material destination comprising the steps of: 
       recovering bulk material from a selected outward bulk material source by means of a lifting conveyor and discharging the bulk material so recovered into a bow hopper;  
       discharging the bulk material from the bow hopper onto a reclaim conveyor and discharging the bulk material from the reclaim conveyor onto a vertical conveyor;  
       discharging the bulk material from the vertical conveyor onto a distribution conveyor for further discharging of the bulk material from the distribution conveyor to an outward bulk material destination; and,  
       further comprising mooring the bow of a transhipper to the outward bulk material source and the stern of the transhipper to the outward bulk material destination, said transhipper comprising said lifting conveyor, said bow hopper, said reclaim conveyor and said distribution conveyor.  
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 22  wherein the bulk material source is a cargo vessel, a barge or a port and the outward bulk material destination is a cargo vessel or a barge. 
     
     
       24. A method of transferring particulate or granular material from an outward bulk material source to an outward bulk material destination comprising the steps of: 
       recovering bulk material from a selected outward bulk material source by means of a lifting conveyor and discharging the bulk material so recovered into a bow hopper;  
       discharging the bulk material from the bow hopper onto a reclaim conveyor and discharging the bulk material from the reclaim conveyor onto a vertical conveyor;  
       discharging the bulk material from the vertical conveyor onto a distribution conveyor for further discharging of the bulk material from the distribution conveyor into a storage hopper;  
       self-propelling and steering of a transhipper to, or the towing of the transhipper to the bulk material destination, said transhipper comprising said lifting conveyor, said bow hopper, said reclaim conveyor and said distribution conveyor;  
       mooring the transhipper alongside the outward bulk material destination or mooring the transhipper to the outward bulk material destination in a position where the said outward destination is astern of the transhipper, which is moored perpendicular to the outward destination;  
       slewing the distribution conveyor relative to the position of the outward bulk material destination; and  
       discharging the bulk material from the storage hopper onto the reclaim conveyor further conveying the bulk material with the vertical conveyor and distribution conveyor, as described above for outward distribution of the bulk material to the outward bulk material destination.